Kelly Bleam expected it to happen.

Just six days ago, the Northwestern girls’ soccer team edged Southern Lehigh in the Colonial League championship game.

Friday afternoon, coach Bleam’s Tigers and Southern Lehigh met again - this time in the District 11 Class 3A semifinals.

Although the score was completely different, the victor still remained the same as the Tigers came out on top with a 1-0 win over the Spartans.

“We knew going into the Colonial League championship we would be the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the District tournament,” Bleam said. “So, we would probably have to play each other no matter the outcome of the championship game. So, we basically knew we were going to play them within a week.

“It’s super hard to beat a good team twice in the same week. So, I was really pleased that my team was able to execute well enough today to get the win.”

Thanks to a collective team effort on the Tigers’ behalf, and some stellar play from sophomore goalie Naomi Glassberg, the hosts were able to slow down the Spartans’ attack and held them scoreless for the second time in a week.

“You know me, the whole team defends the field from the front to the back,” said Bleam.

The opportunities were definitely there for the Tigers to match their scoring output from Saturday’s Colonial League title game when they scored three goals as they were able to put 12 shots on net.

But since that didn’t happen, the outstanding defensive play was even more vital.

The game’s only goal came from senior Kaylie Zentz off an assist from Kayla Bardonner.

“Kylie is our goal scorer, and that is her job,” Bleam said. “Her job is to finish everything that is created for her by her teammates - and she does a good job of that.

“She’s part of an offense that is scoring goals lately and is working very well together to create goals.”

Bleam is glad to see the Tigers coming together when things matter the most.

“I feel like the team is playing great at as a whole,” Bleam said. “We worked hard on collective team defense this year and focusing on the fact that everybody is responsible for goals - giving them up and scoring them.

“I don’t really know how to say this, but I try really hard to take the focus away from the people who get the ink - the goal scorers and the assist makers. Instead, I really put an emphasis on how much it’s a collaborative team effort to score these goals.”

AWAITING RESULTS … The Tigers will play either No. 1 seed Pottsville, or the No. 4 seed Blue Mountain in next week’s District championship game. Details on the title game will be announced at a later time.

IN GOOD HANDS … Northwestern keeper Naomi Glassberg has chalked up two straight shutouts against the powerhouse Spartans. She finished with 12 saves after taking on a Spartans’ attack that fired several shots her way. “Southern Lehigh put a lot of stuff on goal, especially late in the game,” Bleam said. “So, a lot of balls came towards her way. Naomi didn’t fumble a single ball. She picked every one of them up and caught every one and made some great saves. She played a great game.”

PREPPING FOR THE TITLE GAME … Northwestern won’t be as familiar with its championship game opponent as it was with Southern Lehigh. But Bleam plans to find out as much as she can about either Pottsville or Blue Mountain. “I’m going to have to spend some time looking at some things, and trying to gather some information, and come Monday we can look at their team a little bit together. Obviously, it’s an exciting time, and exciting game. It’s fun to prepare for someone different.”